Lagree is making waves in Parisian society. And what a guest! On the programme is a 45-minute workout straight from Los Angeles, sculpting, intense, a cross between Pilates and deep strengthening. BlackRoc has been the benchmark for the discipline for two years and is the most exclusive sports venue in the 16th arrondissement. Paris is discovering a more precise, more refined, almost couture approach to fitness.
Lagree, the strengthening sport
Dressed in a puffer jacket and Pilates socks, I head to Avenue Foch. Far from imagining that a gym is hidden away here... I am (almost) glad I got the wrong address. But hidden behind these Haussmann-style façades, I discover a basement gym, hidden and discreet, but eye-catching with its chic and confident atmosphere.
Some sports transform the body, while others transform the way we connect with it. Lagree belongs to the second category. On a Megaformer, your muscles work until they tremble, your lines become more refined, and your movements become more elegant. At BlackRoc, the method takes on the appearance of a ritual, with each movement lasting six counts. We start with a rigorous abdominal exercise, then hope that it's the end of the class. Noémie, my personal trainer for the day, congratulates me on completing my warm-up.
We move on to the legs, with a few core ‘breaks’, all in 45 minutes. The design is minimalist, the atmosphere silent and the guidance precise. Everything here gives the impression of entering a studio where fitness and finesse are cultivated in equal measure.
I can feel my muscles vibrating, not as if I've been exerting myself brutally, but as if every fibre has been awakened with surgical precision. I'm shaking. ‘Well done! That's a good sign.’ Apparently, everyone shakes here, but there's something strangely comforting about it. It's as if my body is discovering its potential.
BlackRoc, the new place to be
The classes, offered only individually or in pairs, bring vitality between coaching and body care. We come to sweat, of course, but also to regain a certain precision, a refocusing. Behind the scenes, the sports session doesn't stop there. We run to relax (I assure you) in an ice bath for just a few seconds, after a little pampering in the sauna. A regenerating and stimulating combo after exercise! Lagree is fast and effective.
I had never really understood what Lagree was before that morning. It's neither Pilates nor classic fitness. I could sense that Paris had just added a new ritual to its range of demanding pleasures. With the counters reset, the day can begin!
Individual or duo classes, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Practical information: 50 Av. Foch, 75116 Paris
Translated by Bethszabee Garner
